"It is probably the best Bayern team of the last 15, 20 years," Nico Schlotterbeck said ahead of the Klassiker. The Borussia Dortmund captain still backed his side to go to Munich without fear after their 3:2 cup win over Werder Bremen, and he pointed to the 2:3 defeat at the Allianz Arena last season as the standard they need to beat.
The warning before Saturday's Klassiker
Schlotterbeck's comments were not the usual pre-match filler. Bayern München and Dortmund are level on points at the top, and Bayern sit first after seven league games with 17 points. Dortmund are second on 17 points, so this is the sort of meeting that can move the title race without pretending to decide it in one night.
Bayern have also looked the part in the league. They are unbeaten through seven Bundesliga matches, with five wins and two draws, and they have scored 25 goals with a goal difference of 19. Even so, Dortmund's own position means the warning is not just respect. It is a genuine challenge to a side Schlotterbeck clearly rates highly.
Harry Kane said the teams are "level in points at the moment" and called it "always a big game," while Serge Gnabry described it as a chance for Bayern to "make another statement and continue to be on top." The match itself, Bayern München vs Borussia Dortmund, is on Saturday at the Allianz Arena, and the table makes the stakes obvious enough without dressing them up.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
